JP2009054504A - Terminal fittings - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain frictional wear caused by movement of a tab in a width direction. <P>SOLUTION: The tab T inserted into a square cylindrical section 11 from its front is interposed between an elastic contact piece 16 and a support section 21 in a thickness direction. An elastic piece 22 with a shape slantly extending backward in a cantilever state is formed on a sidewall 13 forming the square cylindrical section 11 by cutting up the sidewall 13 at an internal side of the square cylindrical section 11. Frictional wear of the tab T, the elastic contact piece 16, and the support section 21 caused by the movement in the width direction of the tab T, can be restrained since the tab T inserted into the square cylindrical section 11 is restrained from movement in the width direction by elastic pressing force of the elastic piece 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting.

Patent Document 1 describes a terminal fitting having a rectangular tube portion into which a tab of a mating terminal is inserted from the front. An elastic contact piece is provided in the square tube portion, and a receiving portion is provided on a wall portion constituting the square tube portion, and a tab inserted in the square tube portion is placed between the elastic contact piece and the receiving portion. It is designed to be sandwiched in the thickness direction.
JP 2006-344474 A

In this terminal fitting, there is a clearance in the width direction of the tab between both side edges of the tab and both side walls constituting the rectangular tube portion. Therefore, when subjected to vibration, the tab moves in the width direction while being sandwiched between the elastic contact piece and the receiving portion, and as a result, the tab, the elastic contact piece, and the receiving portion may be worn. There is.
This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at suppressing the abrasion resulting from the movement of the width direction of a tab.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a rectangular tube portion into which a tab of a mating terminal is inserted from the front, and an elastic contact piece provided in the rectangular tube portion. And a receiving portion provided on a wall portion constituting the rectangular tube portion, and the tab is sandwiched between the elastic contact piece and the receiving portion in the thickness direction of the tab. In the terminal fitting, on the side wall constituting the square tube part, an elastic piece in a form that cantileverly extends rearward is formed by cutting and raising the side wall to the inside of the square tube part, The elastic piece is characterized in that displacement of the tab in the width direction is suppressed by pressing the side edge of the tab in the width direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the side edge portion of the elastic contact piece that faces the elastic piece is inclined so as to be separated from the side wall toward the rear. Has characteristics.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the first or second aspect, at least one of the outer edge portion on the receiving portion side and the outer edge portion on the elastic contact piece side of the elastic piece is the thickness of the tab. It is characterized in that it is located between the receiving part and the elastic contact piece in the direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the outer edge portion on the receiving portion side of the elastic piece has the receiving portion and the elastic portion in the thickness direction of the tab. It is located between the contact pieces, and the outer edge portion of the elastic piece on the elastic contact piece side is located on the opposite side of the receiving portion with the contact with the tab in the elastic contact piece interposed therebetween. Have.

  Invention of Claim 5 is the thing in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4, The said receiving part is formed by knocking out a part of wall part which comprises the said square cylinder part inside, It is characterized by comprising a pair of ribs arranged at an interval in the width direction of the tab.

<Invention of Claim 1>
The tab inserted into the rectangular tube part is restrained from moving in the width direction by the elastic pressing force of the elastic piece, so that the tab, the elastic contact piece, and the receiving part due to the movement in the width direction of the tab are suppressed. can do.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the side edge portion of the elastic contact piece facing the elastic piece is inclined obliquely so as to be separated from the side wall as it goes rearward, the rear end side of the elastic piece can be separated from the side wall accordingly. As a result, the amount of elastic deflection of the elastic piece when pressing the tab, that is, the elastic pressing force is increased, so that the effect of suppressing the movement of the tab in the width direction is great.

<Invention of Claim 3>
The tab occupies the entire area between the receiving portion and the elastic contact piece, whereas the elastic piece corresponds to only a part between the receiving portion and the elastic contact piece, so that it is elastic in the thickness direction of the tab. The strip will contact only a part of the side of the tab. According to the present invention, the contact resistance between the tab and the elastic piece is reduced and, as a result, the insertion resistance of the tab is reduced as compared with the case where the elastic piece contacts the entire region in the thickness direction of the tab. .

<Invention of Claim 4>
In the thickness direction of the tab, even when the inserted tab is shifted to the elastic contact piece side from the normal position, the elastic piece can surely press the tab.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the receiving part is composed of a pair of ribs, the contact area between the tab and the receiving part is smaller than when the receiving part is in surface contact over the entire surface of the tab, and the tab and the receiving part. The contact resistance between the two is reduced. In addition, since the ribs are formed in a pair in the width direction of the tab with an interval, the tab can be prevented from tilting, and the tab can be prevented from coming off the elastic piece due to the tab tilt.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The terminal fitting 10 of the present embodiment is formed by bending, punching out, and cutting up a metal plate material punched into a predetermined shape, and as a whole has a shape elongated in the front-rear direction. . A substantially front half portion of the terminal fitting 10 is a rectangular tube portion 11 with both front and rear end surfaces open, and a tab T of the mating terminal is inserted into the rectangular tube portion 11 from the front. . The tab T has an elongated plate shape in the front-rear direction, and is inserted into the rectangular tube portion 11 with both front and back surfaces thereof being horizontally oriented.

  The rectangular tube portion 11 includes a bottom wall 12, a pair of left and right side walls 13 rising at right angles from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall 12, and an upper surface wall 14 extending from the upper edge of the right side wall 13 to the left at a right angle. A pair of front and rear pressing walls 15 that are configured from the above and extend rightward from the upper end edge of the left side wall 13 are in contact with the outer surface (upper surface) of the upper surface wall 14, thereby maintaining a rectangular tube shape. The bottom wall 12, the side wall 13, and the top wall 14 are all parallel to the normal insertion direction of the tab T with respect to the rectangular tube portion 11.

  From the front edge of the bottom wall 12, the elastic contact piece 16 of the form folded back is extended. The elastic contact piece 16 extends in a cantilever manner obliquely upward and rearward within the rectangular tube portion 11. That is, the elastic contact piece 16 is inclined so as to approach the upper surface wall 14 toward the extended end. The width dimension of the elastic contact piece 16 (the direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction of the tab T with respect to the rectangular tube portion 11 and the thickness direction of the tab T) is the front end portion (the edge connected to the bottom wall 12). Part) and is gradually narrowing toward the extended end, and is generally trapezoidal as a whole. Therefore, when viewed in the thickness direction of the tab T, the left and right side edges 17 of the elastic contact piece 16 are inclined so as to be separated from the side wall 13 toward the rear.

  The elastic contact piece 16 can be displaced downward by elastically deforming the folded bent portion 18 at the front end thereof. At this time, even if the elastic contact piece 16 has a substantially trapezoidal shape, the width of the bending portion 18 that is elastically bent is wide. Therefore, the elastic restoring force of the elastic contact piece 16 (between the tab T and the receiving portion 21 described later) The force of elastic pinching is sufficiently strong. Further, a contact point 19 is formed at the rear end of the elastic contact piece 16 so as to protrude upward (on the receiving portion 21 side). The contact point 19 is formed by hammering and has a spherical shape as a whole. The elastic contact piece 16 including the contact point 19 has a symmetrical shape with respect to an imaginary line passing through the center of the rectangular tube portion 11 in the width direction.

  A pair of left and right ribs 20 is formed on the upper surface wall 14 by knocking it downward. The ribs 20 are arranged at intervals in the width direction (left-right direction) of the tab T, are elongated in the front-rear direction as a whole, and have a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape. The pair of ribs 20 are bilaterally symmetric with respect to a line passing through the center in the width direction of the rectangular tube portion 11 and constitute a receiving portion 21. The distance in the vertical direction (the thickness direction of the tab T) between the lower ends of the ribs 20 and the upper end of the contact 19 in a state where the elastic contact piece 16 is not elastically displaced is a dimension smaller than the thickness dimension of the tab T. Is set to

  Elastic pieces 22 are formed on the left and right side walls 13 by cutting and raising each. The side wall 13 is previously formed with a cutout 23 having a substantially U-shape in the horizontal direction. The notch portion 23 includes a pair of upper and lower horizontal slits 24 and 25 extending in the front-rear direction, and a vertical slit 26 that connects the rear ends of the horizontal slits 24 and 25. A horizontally long rectangular region surrounded by the notch 23 is an elastic piece 22. The elastic piece 22 has a phantom line connecting the front ends of the upper and lower horizontal slits 24, 25 and extends in a cantilevered manner toward the rear. As a whole, the elastic piece 22 is separated from the side wall 13 toward the rear end side. Is tilted inward. That is, the distance between the left and right elastic pieces 22 in the left-right direction (the width direction of the tab T) is gradually narrowed toward the rear end side (extension end side).

  A rear end portion of the elastic piece 22 is bent outward along a virtual line in the vertical direction, and the bent portion is a pressing portion 27. That is, the distance between the left and right elastic pieces 22 in the left-right direction is the narrowest in the pressing portion 27. The elastic piece 22 can be elastically displaced outward in the left-right direction with its base end as a substantially fulcrum. And the space | interval of the width direction between the both press parts 27 in the state in which the elastic piece 22 is not elastically displaced is made into the dimension a little smaller than the width dimension of the tab T. FIG. The pressing portion 27 is disposed at a position between the contact point 19 of the elastic contact piece 16 and the rear end of the elastic contact piece 16 in the front-rear direction.

  Further, in the front-rear direction, the base end (front end) of the elastic piece 22 is located slightly behind the front end of the rib 20 and is located between the bent portion 18 of the elastic contact piece 16 and the contact 19. Has been. On the other hand, the position of the extended end (rear end) of the elastic piece 22 is a position in front of the rear end of the rib 20 and is located in a position rearward of the rear end of the elastic contact piece 16. Therefore, most of the elastic piece 22 corresponds to the elastic contact piece 16 in the front-rear direction. Here, since the side edge portion 17 of the elastic contact piece 16 is inclined so as to be separated from the side wall 13 toward the rear (that is, substantially parallel to the elastic piece 22), the side wall portion of the elastic piece 22 Even if a large distance from 13 is secured, there is no possibility that the elastic piece 22 interferes with the side edge of the elastic contact piece 16.

  In the vertical direction (in the thickness direction of the tab T), the upper edge of the upper horizontal slit 24 is located above the lower end of the rib 20, and the elastic contact piece 16 is elastic at the lower edge of the lower horizontal slit 25. It is located below the contact 19 in a state where it is not displaced. Further, in the vertical direction, the upper edge portion 22A of the elastic piece 22 (the outer edge portion on the receiving portion 21 side which is a constituent element of the present invention) is positioned slightly below the lower end of the rib 20 (receiving portion 21). In other words, the upper edge portion 22 </ b> A of the elastic piece 22 is located between the lower end of the receiving portion 21 and the contact 19 of the elastic contact piece 16. Further, the lower edge portion 22B of the elastic piece 22 (the outer edge portion on the elastic contact piece 16 side which is a constituent element of the present invention) is positioned below the contact point 19 in a state where the elastic contact piece 16 is not elastically displaced. The pair of left and right elastic pieces 22 has a symmetrical shape with respect to a line passing through the center in the width direction of the rectangular tube portion 11.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the tab T is inserted into the rectangular tube portion 11 from the front, the insertion edge in the left-right direction of the tab T abuts on the upper surface of the rib 20 or the elastic contact piece 16 in the insertion process, and thereafter, the tab T As the insertion proceeds, the elastic contact piece 16 is elastically bent downward. Also, before and after this, the left and right side surfaces of the tab T abut against one or both of the left and right elastic pieces 22, and thereafter, as the insertion of the tab T proceeds, both elastic pieces 22 move outward. Elastic deformation occurs.

  When the tab T reaches the proper insertion position, the tab T is elastically sandwiched between the lower ends of the left and right ribs 20 and the upper end of the contact point 19 so that the terminal fitting 10 and the tab T are connected in a conductive manner. The Further, since the pressing portion 27 of the elastic piece 22 is elastically in contact with the left and right side surfaces of the tab T, the elastic force (elastic pressing force) of both elastic pieces 22 causes the width direction The movement to is suppressed. As described above, in this embodiment, the side wall 13 constituting the rectangular tube portion 11 is cut and raised to the inner side of the rectangular tube portion 11 so as to extend in a cantilever direction obliquely rearward. Since the movement of the tab T formed in the piece 22 and inserted into the rectangular tube portion 11 in the width direction is suppressed by the elastic pressing force of the elastic piece 22, it is caused by the movement of the tab T in the width direction. Thus, the tab T, the elastic contact piece 16, and the receiving portion 21 are prevented from being worn.

  Moreover, since the side edge part 17 which opposes the elastic piece 22 in the elastic contact piece 16 has turned diagonally so that it may separate from the side wall 13 so that it goes back, the side part of the elastic piece 22 is made into the side wall. 13 can be separated. Thereby, the amount of elastic deflection of the elastic piece 22 when the tab T is pressed, that is, the elastic pressing force is increased, so that the effect of suppressing the movement of the tab T in the width direction is great.

  Further, the tab T occupies the entire region between the receiving portion 21 and the elastic contact piece 16 in the thickness direction, whereas the upper edge portion 22A of the elastic piece 22 is in the thickness direction of the tab T. The elastic piece 22 is positioned between the receiving portion 21 and the elastic contact piece 16, and the elastic piece 22 corresponds to only a part between the receiving portion 21 and the elastic contact piece 16. Therefore, in the thickness direction of the tab T, the elastic piece 22 comes into contact with only a part of the side surface of the tab T. According to the present embodiment, the contact resistance between the tab T and the elastic piece 22 is reduced as compared with the case where the elastic piece contacts the entire region in the thickness direction of the tab. Is reduced.

  Further, in the thickness direction of the tab T, the lower edge portion 22B of the elastic piece 22 is located on the opposite side (lower side) of the receiving portion 21 across the contact point 19 with the tab T in the elastic contact piece 16. Therefore, even when the tab T is displaced into the elastic contact piece 16 side (lower side) from the normal position (the normal height contacting the lower end of the rib 20) in the process of being inserted into the rectangular tube part 11, The elastic piece 22 can reliably press the tab T.

  In addition, the receiving portion 21 that sandwiches the tab T with the elastic contact piece 16 is spaced apart in the width direction of the tab T by knocking inward a part of the upper surface wall 14 constituting the rectangular tube portion 11. It is comprised by a pair of rib 20 formed so that it may arrange | position. By setting it as this form, the tab T and the receiving part 21 will be in the line contact state along the insertion direction (front-back direction) of the tab T. FIG. According to the present embodiment, the contact area between the tab T and the receiving portion 21 is smaller than when the receiving portion 21 is in surface contact over the entire surface of the tab T. Therefore, the tab T and the receiving portion 21 are reduced. The contact resistance between the two is reduced. In addition, since the ribs 20 are formed in pairs with a gap in the width direction of the tab T, the tab T can be prevented from tilting to the left and right. 22 is prevented from coming off.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) Although a pair of left and right elastic pieces are provided in the above embodiment, only one of the left and right elastic pieces may be provided. In this case, the tab can be positioned at the center in the width direction by forming a protrusion that does not bend elastically on the side wall on which the elastic piece is not formed.
(2) In the above embodiment, the side edge portion of the elastic contact piece that faces the elastic piece is inclined so as to be separated from the side wall as it goes rearward. The side edge may be parallel to the side wall.
(3) In the above embodiment, only the outer edge portion on the receiving portion side among the outer edge portion on the receiving portion side and the outer edge portion on the elastic contact piece side of the elastic piece is between the receiving portion and the elastic contact piece in the thickness direction of the tab. However, according to the present invention, both the outer edge part on the receiving part side and the outer edge part on the elastic contact piece side of the elastic piece are located between the receiving part and the elastic contact piece in the thickness direction of the tab. It may be located, and it is good also as a form which neither outer edge part is located between a receiving part and an elastic contact piece.
(4) In the above embodiment, the receiving portion is a pair of left and right ribs formed by knocking out part of the wall portion constituting the rectangular tube portion, but according to the present invention, the receiving portion is Further, it may be a flat inner surface of the wall portion constituting the rectangular tube portion, and may be in surface contact with the tab.

Horizontal sectional view of Embodiment 1 Horizontal section showing the tab inserted Longitudinal section Longitudinal section showing the tab inserted Front view Front view showing the tab inserted

Explanation of symbols

T ... Tab 10 ... Terminal metal fitting 11 ... Square tube part 13 ... Side wall 14 ... Top wall (wall part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Elastic contact piece 19 ... Contact 20 ... Rib 21 ... Receiving part 22 ... Elastic piece 22A ... Upper edge part (outer edge part of receiving part side) of elastic piece
22B ... Lower edge of elastic piece (outer edge of elastic contact piece)

Claims (5)

A rectangular tube part in which the tab of the mating terminal is inserted from the front,
An elastic contact piece provided in the rectangular tube part;
A receiving portion provided on a wall portion constituting the rectangular tube portion,
In the terminal fitting configured to sandwich the tab in the thickness direction of the tab between the elastic contact piece and the receiving portion,
On the side wall constituting the square tube part, an elastic piece in a form that extends obliquely rearward in a cantilever manner is formed by cutting the side wall to the inside of the square tube part,
A terminal fitting characterized in that displacement of the tab in the width direction is suppressed by the elastic piece pressing the side edge of the tab in the width direction.   The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein a side edge portion of the elastic contact piece facing the elastic piece is inclined so as to be separated from the side wall toward the rear.   At least one of the outer edge portion on the receiving portion side and the outer edge portion on the elastic contact piece side of the elastic piece is located between the receiving portion and the elastic contact piece in the thickness direction of the tab. The terminal metal fitting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal metal fitting is characterized. The outer edge portion on the receiving portion side of the elastic piece is located between the receiving portion and the elastic contact piece in the thickness direction of the tab,
The said outer edge part of the said elastic contact piece in the said elastic contact piece is located in the other side of the said receiving part on both sides of the contact with the said tab in the said elastic contact piece. The terminal metal fitting in any one.   The receiving portion is formed by knocking out a part of a wall portion constituting the rectangular tube portion inward, and includes a pair of ribs arranged at intervals in the width direction of the tab. The terminal metal fitting in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4.

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